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Sales after Christmas-Ereader


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Sony readers have gone back on sale right now. I hope they'll go down further after Christmas because they're expensive in comparison to Nook and Kindle. I think you can still find good deals on older models of all the readers. For example, Wal-mart has an older Sony for $130 including a case with a light (search for prs300). It's harder to predict if Nook and Kindle will go on sale, because they're already pretty low.

 

If you can track down any type of old reader, even if it doesn't work, you can trade it in at Sony for $75 off a new reader. A neighbor gave us his very old ereader and we and got a new reader for $75.

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I would not expect price drops from the e-readers linked to retail stores (Kindle, Nook, and Kobo), at least not until new models come out.

 

B&N slashed their price earlier this year, and Amazon (probably unwillingly) followed suit with Kindle prices. However, Amazon has suggested that Kindles are a loss leader: they've implied that they cost as much or more to make than their purchase price. So Amazon depends on the buyer purchasing lots of books from the Kindle store in order to make a profit. (As an aside, this is probably one reason Amazon refuses to allow library book downloads to the Kindle.) My guess is that the situation is similar for Borders and B&N, though both allow library book downloads.

 

Sony and other companies with somewhat less investment in e-book sales may have a little more wiggle room for price drops. The rumors I've read suggest that Sony's holiday season 2010 prices may become the permanent prices soon after Christmas. Here are the current models, with regular and current sale prices:

 

PRS-350 (Pocket, 5" touchscreen): MSRP $179/sale price $149

As of today, the sale price is available directly from Sony or at Best Buy.

 

PRS-650 (Touch, 6" touchscreen): MSRP $229/no current sale price

 

PRS-950 (Daily Reader, 7" touchscreen + additional features): MSRP $299/sale price $250 or $240

As of today, the $250 sale price is valid only at Best Buy. The $240 sale price is only available at Borders, as a pre-order.

 

(Recently a few lucky people bought the Daily Reader for $199, but it was due to a pricing error on the part of the retailer, B&H Photo. I doubt the regular price will drop that far before a new model comes out.)

 

I'm really happy with my Sony PRS-950, purchased from Best Buy. Though it cost more than the Nook or Kobo, the current Sony models use newer screen technology that has better contrast, comparable to the Kindle 3. But unlike the Kindle, I can download Overdrive library books onto my reader. Best Buy carries several brands of e-reader, which you can try out in stores, and they have a generous 30-day return policy with no restocking fee (link). I was able to buy online and pick mine up in a local store.

Edited by jplain
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